Strictly Business
by Dia de Luz
Summary: Drabble series: Ichigo/OC.
1. Memorandums

**A/N:** Just a little One-shot for Memorial Day. I thought it would be nice, so I just wrote a little drabble of some sort from my story **Fractured Hesitation**. Enjoy.

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**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Bleach, nor its character. Just the ones made up in this labyrinth called my mind.

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_

**.Memorandum.**

_- Have a placid Memorial Day._**  
**

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"Whadya say, sis? You know you need to get out more… what better way than to treat me to some of Karakura's infamous ice cream~!"

"You've used 'infamous' out of context, bonehead."

"Hazumi-nee-chaaaan~! Why don't you love me so?"

"Why are you so obnoxious?"

Patting my hand over my mouth, I yawned something awful, eyes watering from sleep-deprivation. My hand started to move again, and my gaze flew down to the stack of paperwork I had been stuck with prior to Hosyu's _welcomed_ arrival.

From the other side of the room an annoyed voice reached my ears, "Why don't you both get out of my room?"

I didn't respond, only continued with my single-minded task of finishing off this draining paperwork that I had retrieved from Seireitei earlier this week. Being the Fuku Kidocho really was irritating; I had yet to discover the quirks to my job.

Quite frankly, I just wanted a fucking lollipop.

"Nee-chan~! You are so mean~"

_Thunk._

My brother uttered a particularly _girlish_ scream as he fell out of the windowsill, landing down below with the utmost clumsiness. I didn't look up from my work, "Thanks, Ichigo."

A noncommittal grunt was just thrown in my general direction, so I glanced at the irritable boy from the desk- his desk, actually- from which I was working. Ichigo Kurosaki, tall kid with a mop of disheveled orange hair and these intense tawny eyes, always having a scowl printed on his handsome face. I had become accustomed to his scowling face for quite some time now.

"Who crapped in your cornflakes this morning, Kurosaki?"

"Tch. You really need to learn how to communicate like a normal person, Hazumi."

I sighed, placing my pen on the desk and turning in my chair, following Ichigo's form, who had gone to lie on his bed. He stretched his arms and put them behind his head, closing his eyes. God I wish I could do that right now.

"Shouldn't you be at school…?"

"It's Saturday."

"Fuckin' slacker."

"It's Saturday!"

And a beautiful Saturday at that. The sky was cloudless, glowing that beautiful blue that even beat the summer days in Seireitei.

"Go make friends. You shouldn't be lazing around on a charming day like this."

"What are you doing, then?"

"Work."

"I'll go when you go."

"That'll be never. You'll get fat."

"What're you sayin then, you don't eat?"

"I have an abnormally high metabolism. You, obviously, work for your bod, you lazy shit."

A pause, and then his deadpan voice, "That made absolutely no sense…"

I didn't answer; I was back to work, hunched over at the wooden desk before the window. The only sounds you could hear in the room were Ichigo's steady breathing and the scribble of my pen, signature after signature.

Letter after letter.

Heartfelt apologies and smooth praisings after another.

I felt hands on my shoulders, a face right beside mine. "What are you even signing, anyway?"

"Letters."

His hands were moving slowly, massaging the taut lines of my shoulder blades.

Closing my eyes slowly, I sighed in delight, letting my neck go limp and my head to fall forward.

But my pen was still in my hand. "Take a break."

"I can't."

"You gotta have that in by a deadline or something?"

His hands moved lower to my back, hitting just the spot. "You could say that."

"Why are you always so indirect?"

"Because I talk to you eighty percent of the time. Gotta keep you interested somehow."

He chuckled lightly in my ear, causing me to still for a few moments.

A chaste kiss on my cheek, and then the warmth was gone. I didn't turn as I heard him walking around the room.

"Where are you off to?"

"My old man wanted me to run to the store for groceries. Want anything while I'm there?"

I shook my head, eyes narrowing on this particular letter I had just finished.

Hearing the door shut from behind me, I sighed, placing my head in my hands. This last letter, and I was done. Grabbing my cardigan from the back of my chair, I went for the assortment of memorandums on my desk, shoving them into a tote bag Ichigo had gotten for me for my birthday.

_Five hundred eighteen years old, baby._

Rubbing the back of my neck, I still felt the tingling sensation of where Ichigo's hands had soothed my muscles.

I sighed, going for the door. Shutting it quietly behind me.

**-X-**

"Hazumi-chan! I didn't know you were here!"

Stopping mid-stride, my head rotated slowly, spotting Ichigo's kid sister Yuzu staring at me with her big brown eyes. She was setting the table in the kitchen, and had intercepted me right as I stepped in.

Drat, foiled again.

My lips quirked, "Sorry, Yuzu-chan. Your brother's been holdin' me captive in his closet upstairs."

The small girl blinked slowly, hand freezing as she leaned over to grab a cup from the counter. "Ah…?"

I mentally snickered to myself as I watched her face pale; her big eyes blink at me.

"Ichi-nii…?"

Sighing with mock sadness, I was about to comment on Ichigo's rude make-believe behavior, but a dull voice cut me off.

"It's the norm for Ichi-nii, Yuzu."

Karin stood in the threshold, leaning against the wooden framing with her arms crossed, a line where her lips belonged. Her face was neutral, but if I didn't know any better I would say her black orbs had a glint of mischief concealed quite professionally. I had to admit, the girl had skill with facial expressions.

A light chuckle escaped my lips as I saw Yuzu still at a loss for words, and I found my feet moving towards the door.

"Will you be eating lunch with us, Hazumi-chan?"

My hand was on the doorknob, and I glanced back, seeing Yuzu going for an extra plate. There were now five chairs at the dinner table- the Kurosaki's official acknowledgement that I frequented their house quite often.

"No, Yuzu-chan. Not today."

I opened the door, receiving a bright welcome from the glowing ball of fire in the sky. My eyes closed in content, and before I stepped out, I called back to the two girls. "You don't have to worry about my dinner either. I'll be out for awhile."

"Do you want me to tell Ichi-nii where you are?"

Yuzu was a sweet kid. Karin was a perceptive one.

I liked them both.

My back was still facing the girls as I heaved my tote to hang over my shoulder with comfort.

"Nah, he'll find me if he wants to. Just tell him I'll be gone all day."

**-X-**

Only one foot inside the doorway, "I'm home…"

It was too quiet.

Sudden movement.

"YOU'RE LATE!"

Quite suddenly a foot crashed straight into the wall, Ichigo having ducked not a second too soon. He managed to pull a tuck and roll- a skill in which Hazumi was too practiced in. She was rubbing off on him.

"What time do you think it is, YOU DELINQUENT SON?"

The substitute shinigami pulled an annoyed grimace, scoffing at his crazy father.

Juggling the brown grocery bag in his hand, "It's six…"

"AND WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG? I SENT YOU OUT AT ALMOST TEN THIS MORNING!"

This was true. Ichigo had gone out earlier this morning, and had returned from a normal grocery trip hours than it usually took. But Keigo was one hell of a persistent guy, chasing him around like that all afternoon. He really needed to get out more…

And then there were a few hollows who insisted on foiling Ichigo's attempt to get home with the watermelon intact, and the eggs un-cracked. And the pluses that needed to have performed a Soul Burial. A busy afternoon for the teenager who tried to live a normal human life and play the shinigami role of Karakura.

Setting the groceries on the table, he took a look around the kitchen, seeing Yuzu washing some kind of food under the faucet, his father gathering himself and brushing off, and Karin reading a magazine at the table. One was missing.

Noting her absence, "Where's Hazumi?"

Karin sighed from the table, pulling the sucker out of her mouth- a gift from Hazumi. Twirling it in her fingers, another habit picked up from the Kidoshu Lt, "She went out around lunchtime."

"She's not back yet?"

"What are you, her keeper?"

Rolling his brown eyes, the sub shinigami moved to put the groceries away, stepping beside Yuzu. The sandy-haired girl asked for some fruit, which he gave to her, and she proceeded to wash it off, "She just said she'd be gone all day. Hazumi-chan told me not to fix her plate for dinner, but I will anyways. I'll wrap it up for her so when she comes back she can have a good meal. Even though she eats with us all the time, it looks like she doesn't eat a thing."

Yuzu continued to contemplate about the girl's health, while Ichigo stayed silent, wondering where the hell the blonde could have gone.

"And her Ojii-san works her nonstop… I wonder if she ever eats at home…"

Here the ginger sweat-dropped, only imagining what stories Hazumi could have concocted and spoon-fed his unsuspecting sister.

"Hazumi-chan is a part of this family~! She works so hard and comes over here to keep your brother in place, girls! She deserves a good family!"

Scratch that, Ichigo thought with a tick mark, what stories she hatched up for his whole family to buy. His father practically had fat crocodile tears running down his cheeks.

"And she evens cleans Ichi-nii's room…"

"Not you too, Karin!" Incredulous, Ichigo had whirled on his sister, seeing her staring back at him with her black eyes. Deadpan. With a tinge of horror blooming in his gut, the boy realized he had seen that look before, just given with ten times the dullness.

Hazumi was rubbing off on his sister as well.

Muttering under his breath, the shinigami moved towards the stairs, setting to find where Hazumi had gone off to.

"Where are you going, Ichi? Dinner's almost ready!"

"Yuzu, do you know where Hazumi keeps her planner…?"

Blinking, the small girl tapped her finger to her chin. "It should be in your desk…"

"Why do you know that?"

Karin flipped the page of her magazine, "Why do you need her planner, Ichigo?"

But the boy didn't respond, just heading up the stairs, taking two at a time. It wasn't like Hazumi to be all cryptic and not send word. She usually didn't just up and disappear without first telling him where she went. She didn't really hide anything from him anymore.

Not after all that they had been through.

Striding into his room, the boy yanked the drawer of his desk open, searching for her little black book. Hazumi had opted to using a planner when she started coming to the Real World more often. Ichigo didn't know how she had done it, but somehow she had bargained with her captain to let her stay here for extended periods of time.

Knowing her though, she probably abused her privileges as Fuku Kidocho and the power that came with it.

Yeah, that sounded more like her.

"There you are…" The book was in his hands, and he opened the black cover, furrowing his brows. With his eyes glued to the page, he made his way back into the kitchen, walking down the stairs quite hazardously.

"What's the date…?"

"My delinquent son doesn't even stay in the present-!"

Speaking over her crazed father, Karin drawled on, "May 31st, Ichi."

The boy took a seat at the table, flipping to the date. Scribbled in Hazumi's small script were the words, '_Memorial Day.'_

Hazumi had many weird habits. One of them was adopting random holidays from all sorts of foreign nations. Seeing as how old she was, she had seen many things in the world and had come to appreciate the small things. Holidays were just one of those small things she made sure to never miss.

"Memorial Day…"

"Is that what is written?"

Glancing up, Ichigo's gaze met his father's. He nodded slightly, and that had Isshin clapping his hands, beaming. "I knew that girl had a heart of gold~!"

Ignoring his father's normal outburst, Ichigo glanced back down at the small calendar. Then he saw something else.

More writing, this time reading, _'Letters & Memorandums.'_ And a small check beside said wording.

Flashing back to that morning, Ichigo furrowed his brows_. _

_"What are you even signing, anyway?"_

_ "Letters." _

_"A deadline?"_

_"You could say something like that." _

And he even saw a peak of her scribbled writing on one of those letters that morning.

The one she had not taken with her. It just didn't occur to him then.

_"I read in a book once, 'A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.' Unnamed soldier or not, I respect you in total confidence. I would put my life in your hands once again with the utmost certainty that I would come out alive. Because that's what soldiers do when at war. We form bonds and grow together. We all lose a piece of ourselves together out there. And when one dies, that little piece of each one of us dies. A piece of me died with you that day."_

He hadn't even thought about it until now, actually. It just went through one ear and out the other- figuratively speaking, of course.

But now he knew where Hazumi was.

**-X-**

It was late by the time I walked in the door. The moon was shining brightly throughout the thick black of the night, and I tiptoed through the kitchen as to not wake any occupants in the Kurosaki household.

Gaze trailing to the kitchen table, I stopped, blinking.

Set right there at my seat was a wrapped up meal, with a little sticky note on top. My lips curling, I picked up the note silently, smile broadening when I saw Yuzu's neat scrawl printed on the yellow posted. She was such a sweet kid…

Though I wasn't hungry.

So I opened the fridge, placing the plate on the shelf and closed it, turning to the stairs. Today was a long day; all I really wanted to do was sleep. I'd sleep on Kurosaki's floor if I had to- I just wanted some shut-eye.

Creeping up the stairs, I silently made my way to Ichigo's room, sighing quietly as I opened the door and closed it. No problems tonight. All was quiet. The moonlight filtered in through the light curtain's of Ichigo's room, causing a sliver of illumination to cast a small glow- just enough for me to see. I wouldn't trip over anything tonight.

But I stopped when my eyes landed on Ichigo's desk- the one in which I usually occupied these days. Because stationed on his desk was a piece that hadn't been there this morning, when I had left. It brightened up the room considerably, through my eyes.

A simple sunflower had been placed in a vase, right by the memorandum I had written and not taken with me.

A small smile creeped onto my face, curling my lips.

_He always knows the right thing to do._

And here I had thought Ichigo was an idiot all along. My eyes strayed to where said shinigami laid, his back to me.

He was sleeping like a baby.

Or so I had thought.

"You coming to bed anytime soon, or are you going to creep around like a burglar all night…?"

An unladylike snort emitted from my chest at his words, and I slowly stepped towards Ichigo's bed, plopping down on his mattress as he made room. I had used to think his bed was a rock, but as time passed I soon came to like it- most days kicking him to the floor and hogging the mattress all to myself. Too many times had I booted him to the floor, taking his bed for my own.

"Thanks," I whispered, grabbing for the blanket I had come to call my own.

Ichigo uttered a noncommittal grunt. "Memorial Day, huh."

"Yeah," I yawned, closing my eyes.

"You subject yourself to that sadness each year?"

"It just feels as they deserve it, you know?"

Silence. I felt the boy roll over, stretching his arm over me, bringing me closer.

Then, "Yeah."

_Memorial Day._

"Night, Ichigo."

But the boy was already sleeping.

_Sunflowers are my favorite._

**-X-**

In the next room, Yuzu rolled over in her sleep, her brows knitted tightly. Dreaming, it only consisted of one thought. It was as if she were lucid, thinking something so trivial.

_Why would Ichigo keep Hazumi-chan captive in his closet...?_

**_

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_So there you are. Something simple and sweet. Just takes some pressure away from the events in Fractured Hesitation, slows things down a bit. I thought that would be nice for you faithful readers.**

_You know what to do. You click that button. Empower yourself!_


	2. N E C E S S I T I E S

**A/N: **Since I can't get a handle of FH at this very moment, this should suffice for a bit longer. So hang in there with me, guys! Thanks so much! So here's a little oneshot for Ichigo's birthday, which does happen to be July 15th- the reason for my writing this adorable fluffy piece. Not really fluffy, haha. But there you go, thank you!

Oh, and this is now turned into not just one Oneshot- not just Memorandums like I had originally planned! This is where I come to lay some of the load off of Fractured Hesitation. I believed that this step was in order.

Thank you!

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**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Bleach, nor its character. Just the ones made up in this labyrinth called my mind._

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_**N E C E S S I T I E S **

**(**Cursed Strawberry!**)  
**

_Bleach © Tite Kubo_

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"So Nagasaki, how long have you and Ichigo been an item?"

Instantly wary, Hazumi Nagasaki glanced up from the desk in which she occupied, black as coal orbs meeting brown eyes. Tatsuki Arisawa stood tall over her desk, hands placed on her hips as a small frown sloped her lips. The Nagasaki girl blinked, not feigning her confusion as to why this girl she had barely spoken to was suddenly interested in her private life.

Closing her textbook shut, she spoke slowly, "Not long."

The purple-haired girl sensed her hesitation on the matter and leaned back, scratching the back of her head. "Sorry, it's just- Ichigo doesn't really date girls around here much. Actually... he doesn't really date at all..."

Hazumi's lips quirked just a bit at that as she stood from her seat, noting that it was lunch hour. It was a wonder that she had even arrived at school today- she barely ever showed up. God only knows where Kuchiki and everyone else was.

Hefting the textbook to her bosom, the blonde smiled at the girl before her.

"Yeah. When I first met him, I thought he was gay, too."

"Hazumi-chan! Oh how I've missed your beautiful face~!"

_Thud._

Keigo Asano was face-down on the ground after taking a particularly lazy curb-stomp to the face by none other than the current _Fuku Kidōchō_. Her foot was grinding the back of his head in an uncaring gesture. "Asano-san, please refrain from touching me."

And his muffled, teary reply, "So cold~!"

The blonde stepped over the desperate youth, biding a polite farewell to the two teens.

"Excuse me, Arisawa-san. I must get going. It's been nice chatting with you."

Tatsuki blinked, offering a small wave before the girl turned the corner.

"She is so distant, Arisawa-chan! So cold!"

"Tch. Shut up, Keigo."

But the girl couldn't agree more herself. Hazumi Nagasaki had shown up along with the other slightly suspicious transfer students earlier that year, keeping to herself as much as possible. Though she did seem to be well acquainted with Orihime… and Uryū and Chado now that she thought about it. What an odd assortment of people, she thought, as she stared at the corner in which Nagasaki had turned just seconds ago.

But Tatsuki had no reason to dislike the girl- in fact, she quite liked her calm sarcasm and facetious nature. Her dry humor somehow charmed its way into their class, and straight into Ichigo Kurosaki's heart.

She had a feeling this Hazumi Nagasaki was a blessing in disguise for the carrot-topped youth.

**-X-**

"Hazumi-chan! Over here!"

A sweet, cheery voice made its way to the blonde's ears as she hesitated in her step along the pavement, turning her head to see Orihime Inoue waving at her with a jubilant smile brightening her face. Raising a hand in her direction, Hazumi returned the greeting with half the effort, keeping her other hand stuffed in her grey skirt's pocket.

_Damn uniforms are just meal tickets for old perverts around here_, she thought, with an irksome spite.

Hazumi had never been too skilled in the area of keeping her cool, and when provoked, things only got messier. Like earlier that week- let's just say she finally got a reason to vent all that pent up frustration and irritability on a balding, businessman in the middle of the street, going as far as swatting the perverted soul continuously with his leather briefcase, cursing like a merchant sailor.

"Come join us for lunch, Hazumi-chan~!"

Sighing, the shinigami girl strayed from the pavement path, meandering through the grass towards her friend. Upon closer inspection, she realized the bosomy ginger wasn't alone. Several other classmates completed her circle, along with Rukia Kuchiki. She cast a sparing glance at her shinigami friend, quirking her lips as she took in the scene in which Rukia seemingly fit in just like any other Highschooler out there.

_How ironic._

"Are you not sitting, Hazumi-chan?"

The blonde glanced down at Orihime, that ghost of a smile flitting at the corner of her lips. "Maa, I don't have any lunch. I've got to run these," here she produced a manila folder from her small tote, "to the Photography club and speak to Ochi-Sensei about my work. _Gomen ne_."

"Aah Hazumi-chan! Why are you so busy all of the sudden? Are you suddenly avoiding us?"

Chizuru Honshō and her ever so pitched voice floated to the apathetic girl's ears, causing her to only glance at the self-proclaimed lesbian for a second. "I always avoid you, Honshō-san."

Deadpan.

"You _are_ cold, Hazumi-chan~!"

"Maa, maa, Hazumi-san! I heard about the incident the other day!"

"Incident, what incident!"

"Oooh, Hazumi-san!"

_I don't have enough patience for this_, Hazumi thought with a tick mark, as she watched the mere high school girls chirp and chatter about meaningless gossip and scuttlebutt. She sighed as she crossed her arms, lifting her face to the sky as the girls continued bantering.

"Yeah! That old pervert! You really gave it to him, Hazumi-san!"

"Really? _Sugoi_~!"

"Oh, Hazumi-chan, where's Kurosaki-kun? Is he sick today?"

Blinking at the sudden change in topic, Hazumi lowered her gaze back to Orihime, expression neutral.

The other girls around had stopped with their chatter, waiting in silent anticipation for the blonde's answer, suddenly hopeful. This was a chance to see Hazumi express something other than disdain, contempt, and/or scorn. Her mysterious demeanor would be no more. Leaning closer as she opened her mouth to answer-

"Who knows, I'm not his keeper."

They fell forward in hopelessness.

Of course.

"Oi, Hazumi-san! Aren't you his girlfriend? You're supposed to know this stuff!"

Sighing, Hazumi only turned, rubbing the back of her head and closing her eyes.

"_Maataku_… You lot really are troublesome…"

"You know, Hazumi-chan…" Chizuru's sudden mischievous voice had the girl faltering in her stride, but she didn't turn as the annoying teenager continued. Holding up a finger in a subjective sort of way, "You do know what date is coming up, ne?" She chided, getting a kick out of the blonde's silence.

"Should I?" Questioned said blonde, apathy and lack of interest lacing her bland voice.

Gritting her teeth in an attempt to keep cool over Hazumi's nonchalant antics, Chizuru took it upon herself to recite the date.

"Today's July 14th."

"Okay…"

And suddenly Orihime's eyes brightened, and she held up a hand eagerly. "Oh, that's right! It's Kurosaki-kun's birthday tomorrow!"

"Orihime-chan!"

"Oh, gomenasai, Chizuru-chan!"

And as the girl's continued their squabble, Hazumi furrowed her brows, placing one foot forward.

An absentminded gesture signified her thought, "Birthday, huh…"

**-X-**

"Class, settle down! It's time I announced your class rankings of this semester, 2010!"

Despite Ochi-Sensei's constant shoutings at the students, it was highly unlikely that anyone would stop talking anytime soon. Hazumi sat in her desk with a bored look, palm pressed to her cheek and elbow on her desk, gazing out the window with glazed eyes.

_Birthday…_ _He never mentioned it._

It struck her as both odd and quite normal. Ichigo had never been one to make things such as this a bid deal, so she wasn't very surprised. But still, Kurosaki's family had somehow come to acquire the date of her birth, and they had celebrated last winter.

_I had forgotten about it, actually. _

_January just comes and goes every year… _

And suddenly, the air in the classroom shifted, and Hazumi felt eyes on her. Perking up, she blinked, turning her head to see…

_Everyone's glaring at me…_

"How is this possible!"

"No way!"

"She's never here, there must be a rule against this!"

"This is devastating!"

Cacophony.

Furrowing her brows, Hazumi's gaze strayed to the chalkboard-

_"Uhh…"_

Smooth_.  
_

Written in the fine, white lettering were the top ten rankings.

And in bold, capital letters-

**"No. 1: Nagasaki Hazumi."**

The sudden, tangible aura was quite startling, and the worst of it was emanating from her left.**  
**

The current_ Fuku Kidōchō _suddenly paled, slowly turning her head to the corner of the classroom in which the ruling Chess Team inhabited, the color draining from her face as she saw the team start cracking their knuckles, murderous intent just lingering above their heads.

Their glasses were glinting in the fluorescent lights from above, and their bowl cuts were shining quite brilliantly under the bright lighting of the classroom. Overall, it was a sinister looking group aiming their most agonizing thoughts straight towards Hazumi Nagasaki.

And Ochi-Sensei was oblivious to all of it.

"Well! Ehehe, Hazumi-san, would you like to come up here and say a few words?"

She was practically making the blonde a walking target. Hazumi's eyes were wide and face pale as she slowly shook her head, neck creaking like rusty bolts.

Ignoring the no longer so light atmosphere, Ochi-Sensei continued with the death sentence on Hazumi's head.

"Well then, class! I think we know who our next Student Body President will be!"

_"ARGGGHH!" _

_"WHY ME!"_

_

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_

"Ichi-nii, Hazumi-chan hasn't come home from school yet!"

Blinking, Ichigo Kurosaki took that last step down the staircase, looking down at his younger sister. The concern was evident on her small face as she gazed back up at him, gripping a wooden spoon to her chest with tight worry. Her green apron was splashed with all kinds of different sauces, signifying her work in the kitchen was relentless.

Sighing, the youth shoved his hands in his pockets, "_Maataku._ She's probably late because of club activities."

But his younger sister only shook her head frivolously, "No! She's usually home by this time!"

"She could be at Ojii-san's."

_Urahara-san's… But what would she be doing there?_

If she ever said she was _going_ to _Ojii-san's_, she'd truly be on her way to Urahara's._  
_

Unbeknownst to his family, when Hazumi_ referred_ to her _Ojii-san,_ she was really speaking of her Captain in Soul Society, Hilo Boggnamo. Also unbeknownst to his family, Hazumi slept at his house, most of the time in his very bed.

_She eats here, she sleeps here, from time to time she cleans here… so why does she have to continuously be late?_

Rubbing his head with another heavy sigh, "Alright, I'll go look for her."

"Are you sure, Ichi-nii? Are you feeling well enough?"

"Are you worried about her or not? I said I'd go."

The boy had made his way to the door, catching a glimpse of the time on the clock nearby.

_6:30… _

She _should_ have been back by now.

"O-okay, Ichi-nii! Good luck."

Tugging the door open, he only raised a hand, "Yeah."

**-X-**

He found her by the riverbed.

Quite frankly, he didn't really know what to make of the scene. Her crouched there on the balls of her feet, head bent and arms wrapped by her knees, so you could only see the top of her head. It was sunset, and there she was, crouching on the dirt with an air of irritability.

He sweat-dropped.

_She is so unapproachable right now…_

But the boy had never hesitated in the area of pissing Hazumi off, so he took those steps toward her, stuffing his hands in his pants pockets. He stopped right at her side, turning to face the glittering water with a passive expression.

"Yuzu is worried."

The boy glanced down when she didn't answer, pulling his hand of out his pocket to slowly touch the girl's shoulder-

"Is that why you're here?"

"Aa."

"You're sick. Go back home."

"You might as well come with me."

He heard her sigh from beneath her covered head, and he watched as she slowly lifted her gaze to the water. He blinked as he noted a light discoloration and small scratch marring the smooth skin on her cheek. He instinctively frowned, going on interrogation mode.

"What happened?"

She was silent.

Now scowling, the boy crouched beside her, "Oi!"

And it was as if a thundercloud were over her head.

She slowly turned her dark gaze back at him, "I got jumped."

_"Nani!"_

Sighing, Hazumi shook her head at the boy. "It wasn't that bad."

"Hell it wasn't! Look at your face!"

"I can't, dipshit."

"Who was it?" Here the girl's eyes weighted with a heavy load, and she turned back to the water.

She wouldn't say.

"Who was it, Hazumi?" His voice was quieter now, and that had the blonde bending her head even farther. A cold air surrounded her now, breezing by the boy with a chilling effect.

"I-I…" She was hesitating. And her voice was trembling.

Ichigo's eyes softened, "It's okay, Hazumi. Just tell me who."

And for dramatic effect, Hazumi lifted her head again and looked Ichigo straight in the eye, horrified.

Her voice was just below a terrified whisper, _"The Chess Team…"_

It took a few seconds to register what the girl had said, and even then he was struck dumb.

"Come again…?"

"I-It was t-the Ch-Ch-_Chess Team!"_

And that had the Kurosaki boy falling into fits of booming laughter, barking dry chuckles right beside the girl's horrified face.

"The Chess Team, really!"

More laughter.

Hazumi's face slowly pulled to a dark scowl, "Oi! Stop laughing, it's not funny!"

"Hell it ain't! The Chess Team, I mean, come on Hazumi!"

_"Urusai!"_

"AHAHAHA!"

"That's it! No birthday present for you!"

Funny enough, little tears had spurted in the boy's eyes from his laughter, and it slowly died down to small, hicupped chuckles. In a swift movement, Ichigo had draped an arm around Hazumi's shoulders and pulled her close, both of them still facing the river.

Her face- red as a cherry, brows drawn and mouth curved into a deep frown. She had crossed her arms defensively in front of her chest, turning her face away from his in spite and sticking her nose in the air.

His face- total contentment, with a bit of humor still lighting his shining eyes.

Snorting with one more choke of laughter, "Oh, trust me, this is quite enough."

_She can take down the emptiness of Hollows, the cold aura around them, and kick about anyone's ass, but she couldn't face the Chess Team._

Ichigo turned his head to gaze at her, a slight warming smile curving his lips as he saw her annoyed pose.

_The one day you go to school without me, was the one day this happens. Yeah, this is enough of a gift._

_To know that... You actually need me._

And ever so subtly, his grip tightened on her, and she didn't resist. A ghost of a smile only flickered the corner of Hazumi's lips as she felt the pressure of his arm, and she settled for resting her head on his shoulder.

_To think... that I actually need this Bonehead._

_

* * *

_**Just for you!**

A small break from Fractured Hesitation, I suppose. I'm giving myself time to think and time to relax, since it's summer break and I'm a lazy poo brain. I'm wondering where I'll end it, since it seems to be getting quite lengthy. Thanks guys, 40 chapters! We're all so awesome!_  
_


	3. P A W N S

**Disclaimer:** Bleach Tite Kubo. **Hazumi me. **Sufficient enough.

* * *

**P A W N S **

**(** Cursed board games! **)**

_OC centric. Don't like? Don't read._

**

* * *

**

That was the sixteenth time this morning.

Sixteen times had she felt something smack the back of her head as she sat in her assigned desk; sixteen times had the dull _thunk_ resounded from off her skull and into the silent classroom as they continued their work. Sixteen _blasted_ times did the blonde grit her teeth in frustration, until she finally couldn't take it anymore.

Balling her fist on the wooden desk, Hazumi grasped the little trinket in which so _gracefully_ collided with her skull. She glared down at the little piece for all she was worth, too.

Blinking, her neighboring desk-mate cast his eyes in her general direction, not saying a word as a dangerous aura started to emanate from the blonde's persona.

With a small hand tightening on the pawn each passing second, the girl finally snapped.

The main event of the morning happened in one big blur. Out of the concentrated silence of the high school classroom, her shouting erupted like a volcano. In less than a second, she had whirled in the seat to raise her fist that gripped the small pawn, tossing it in animosity at the _nerdy_ perpetrators' feet.

"HA HA HA, THAT'S REAL FUNNY! NOW WHAT! LOOKS LIKE YOU RAN OUT OF PAWNS, YOU BLASTED-"

_Clunk._

The room went quiet again.

Just like that.

And Ichigo Kurosaki was the one to thank for the quelling of such spontaneous disturbance. Holding Hazumi's head so her face was pressed against the surface of her desk, he succeeded in drowning out her foolish shouting by merely making it so her lips could not move.

It hadn't been difficult for every curious eye in the room to find the pair and successfully pause in their writing. Deadly silence followed as Hazumi then proceeded to flail her arms wildly from her incapacitated position, beating her fists blindly in the air. But the boy only gave her struggling form a blank stare.

Ichigo was unfazed.

But Ochi-Sensei was not.

"Nagasaki! After class!"

Finally finding the strength to lift her head and slap the ginger's hand away, "But Ochi-Sensei-!"

"NO BUTS! BACK TO WORK!"

Ichigo merely sighed.

Hazumi really needed to work on her people skills.

**-X-**

"You're really stupid, you know."

With his hands in his pockets, Ichigo had waited outside of the school for the blonde to surface, even after the courtyard had long since cleared of any student life. The sun was well on its way to setting, but he stood there until he saw her emerge from the bland school building. And she looked none too happy. With chalk coating her clothes and face, her black eyes stood out stark against the pale color.

"Can it, you overbearing fool."

"Why are you covered in-"

"I said can it!" Hazumi didn't stop, but waited for the boy to fall into step by her side as she walked. No sooner did she think that did she feel his begrudging presence beside her, and together they ambled down the pavement in silence.

She guessed she should have felt bad- after all, he did wait for her. She easily cast that from her conscious as she then realized that her predicament was simply not her fault. That awful chess team had the most immature grudge against her in the history of grudges. She was in a bad mood, because of the chess team.

But it wasn't Ichigo's fault, either.

Sighing in frustration, the girl paused in their walk to kick a nearby telephone pole, only to succeed in receiving a big _pang_ in her toes. 

_"Jesus Christ, Shepherd of Judah!"_

Ichigo just stared as Hazumi continued to sputter several indiscernible curses, some in which he was even surprised to hear. But he guessed after living five hundred years, your vocabulary only gets larger. In Hazumi's case, more colorful.

When she was done, that cross expression stayed fastened to her face, followed by her brisk walk. Easily catching up to the girl with his long legs, Ichigo couldn't help but let a small smirk curl the corners of his lips. "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the cage this morning."

"I said can it! Just you wait! Those scuzzy kids will get what's coming to them!"

And suddenly, Ichigo's favorite Shinigami had this brooding type of expression, and he couldn't help but feel a little unsettled as a fiendish grin curved her lips. "Oh, they'll get what's coming to them, alright…"

Ichigo had to admit, that devilish glint in her eye did pique his interest, but then he remembered: Hazumi's ideas were never something he wanted to hear.

"You never did tell me why you're covered in chalk."

"I said those savages would pay!"

Ichigo cast a fleeting glance at his Juliet, speaking to her in a flat voice. "The old 'chalk-eraser in the face trick,' huh."

"T-That's absurd! I would never-!"

"But it looks like they didn't just hit you as you walked in the door…"

"H-Hey- I never said-!"

"You must have been moving really slow for them to be able to get you at that angle…" Black eyes widened as Hazumi let out a squeal, successfully slapping Kurosaki's wandering hand from none other than her backside.

Her cheeks were blazing hot, "H-Hey! When did you get so bold!"

But the boy merely shrugged, continuing on with his hands in his pockets, offering an indulgent smirk as he left Hazumi to stand there fuming at his back. Smirk widening as he heard the girl's shrill exclamation from a distance.

_"I've come across decomposed bodies that are less offensive than you are, Kurosaki!"_

_

* * *

Lovely reviews are my happiness.  
_


	4. P A R K S

**Disclaimer:** Bleach **Tite Kubo** : Hazumi **Me. **Simple enough.

* * *

**P A R K S **

_Of Amusement?_

**(** Cursed human stimulants! **)**

**

* * *

**

"Ichigo, I finished that essay three days ago. Why are you still working on it?"

Propping her legs against the substitute Shinigami's wall, Hazumi sprawled herself across his bed in a lazy roll. Her blonde hair was a frazzled masterpiece, her black eyes reflected boundless traces of boredom, and her usually comical tone was now flat. She heard a very audible sigh coming from the desk on the other side of the room, before the small _clat_ of a pen being dropped.

Glancing through the corner of her bored eyes, Hazumi watched the youth run a hand through his mop of orange hair, exhaling slowly. The blonde snorted at the boy's theatrics, bringing her eyes to stare at the blank ceiling once again.

"I want to buy a house."

"No," Ichigo shut her down without a second thought.

Hazumi merely rolled her eyes. "Then I want to get a job."

She heard the boy pick his pen back up, but did not yet hear the scratch of his barely legible scrawl. "You have a job."

"The Kido Corps hardly counts now," Hazumi scoffed, watching the boy shake his head in exasperation. Since her promotion as Grand Kido Chief, Hazumi- with a bit much delight, Ichigo thought- had to do little to no paperwork. She merely signed off on whatever that Tottori kid threw at her. Literally. Half the time he would catch Hazumi not even reading the shit that she had signed- Ichigo would relish the day that her carelessness would bite her in the ass.

"Let's go to a bakery."

"No."

"Maybe to America?"

His voice was sarcastic now, "If I won't go to a simple bakery, then why the _hell_ would I go to America?"

But Hazumi ignored his snarky words, shooting up with a bright glint in her eye- to Ichigo's dismay. "It's settled! We'll go to an amusement park!"

"… What the hell."

**-X-**

Hazumi was buzzing in anticipation as she stood by Ichigo, who had taken to rubbing the back of his head and sighing at the girl's childish behavior. Watching Hazumi react to everything was the epitome of entertainment in itself. Her big black eyes were expanding and shining with each passing second, her mouth had long since broken into that wide dimpled grin that- much to Ichigo's resigned chagrin- he had grown very fond of.

They were standing at the intersection of everything in the middle of Karakura's amusement park, and Hazumi was so beside herself with excitement that she just didn't know where to start. And if he didn't know any better, Ichigo would say that she had never experienced something like this before.

So he asked.

In turn, Hazumi spared him a quick glance before turning back to the bright lights, sickly-sweet scent of cotton candy, and total ripoffs that had called themselves 'game booths.' "No, I've never been. This is so exciting!"

And she was off in a winding blur of yellow.

Muttering an oath under his breath, Ichigo cursed himself with being so captivated by Hazumi's charm. Well, it wasn't like she had any charm- she was far from charismatic. By a long shot. But to him, well- that dimpled, full-toothed grin got him every time. His heart always gave a pleasant jolt when she directed that smile at him. But now, that beaming look that he loved so much was the reason why he had just lost Hazumi in the crowd.

He cursed again.

The boy started forward, expression morphing into a scowl as he repeatedly lost sight of Hazumi's fair head.

She just couldn't contain herself. With the beautiful day and all the excitement buzzing in the concentrated area, he just knew Hazumi would pull something like this. She thrived on this kind of stuff.

She said this place felt alive.

But she was as elusive as a-

"Oh no!"

"Someone should do something!"

"That girl's crazy!"

The calls of distress from nearby patrons had Ichigo's stomach tightening into knots. And somehow, just somehow, he knew that where the voices were, Hazumi was, too. And lo, as he rounded that next corner, he spotted a mob of people that had started to form at the base of a particularly daunting roller coaster. They were all looking up. Curious, Ichigo, too, let his gaze wander to the sky.

"Miss, you need to sit down!"

Just to see Hazumi standing in her seat at the very top of the tracks with her arms spread wide.

And her gleeful shout had the youth mentally face-palming.

_"THIS IS SO LIBERATING!"_

Maniacal laughter.

That was it. No more amusement parks.

* * *

_Review, my precious dreamboats.  
_


	5. Cafe Days

**Disclaimer:** Bleach **Tite Kubo** : Hazumi **Me. **Simple enough.

* * *

**Cafe Days.**

_¼ Cup of Caffeine.  
_

**

* * *

**

"Hey Nagasaki, why are you always so irritable?"

Ichigo's normally tanned complexion paled at this casual statement spoken by his tattooed acquaintance, followed by a subtle glance at the addressed girl. Fearing for the worst, the boy braced himself for the shouts that were sure to follow.

And he had liked coming to this cafe, too.

"I'm a ray of fucking sunshine, Abarai."

_Huh._

Not what he expected.  
Where were the explosions?

"Oi! You can't seriously mean that- eh! What are you doing! NAGA-!"

_CREEEAAAKKK  
THUD!_

Ichigo just blinked slowly as he had watched the scene play out before him. First it had been with a morbid sense of curiosity, seeing Hazumi with that diabolical spark in her black pools.

Then that curiosity had bloomed into something in which he could not identify- cough cruelty- when Renji's seat had _magically_ tipped backwards, followed by his rough collision with the ground.

"See? Ray of sunshine."

Silence.

"…"

Ichigo just chose to sip at that coffee of his with a hint of laughter in those tawny orbs.  
Unfortunately, his Juliet was not one to miss such things.

_THUD!_

"What the hell, Hazumi!"

"…"

"OI!"

"My foot slipped."

* * *

_Oh, don't you just love the beautiful results of boredom?_  
_I sure do.  
I'm slowly finding myself having fun with small drabbles.  
I should do something like this more often.  
How's the layout?_

_**-Mel**  
_


	6. R E V E N G E

**You. Yes, you.  
Thank you for reviewing.  
I looooove you. For doing that.**

**

* * *

**

**Disclaimer:** Bleach **Tite Kubo** : Hazumi **Me. **Simple enough.

* * *

**Revenge.**

…_ is sweet._

**Counterplay Tactic No.1: **

_Sabotage, Suckas!_

_

* * *

_

**_CRASH!_**

"Oi! Quiet, you bumbling nincompoop," came a hushed exclamation drenched in seething acid.  
"I can't help it! It's dark!" followed the indignant reply of a certain scowling youth.

Not that the girl could see it.  
It was dark, after all.

"Can't we just turn on one light…?"

…

"It's called breaking and entering for a reason, Moron!"

**The Next Morning:**

The classroom was bustling with teenage activity. There was always something going on at Karakura High. There was always something interesting to watch or to listen in on.

But a certain blonde's attention was in the corner of said classroom.

"Men. We have been sabotaged!"  
"Agreed."  
"It was so strange!"

Chess Team.

Ichigo merely watched with a dull incredulity and exasperation as Hazumi's Cheshire grin widened when conversation between the nerdy crew continued.

"I woke up with two knights in my nostrils! I couldn't breathe!"  
"No! I went to find my board this morning, just to see all the spaces were colored in black!"  
"My pawns were all strangely carved to resembled small swords…"

"_Fufufu…!"_

"Hazumi…" The carrot-topped youth didn't know whether to just leave his significant other be, or to sidetrack her from her _crazy_ obsession with obtaining her revenge.

The Chess Team.

"We must take action!"

Of all things.

"_Fufufufu."_

The boy only stared.  
Suddenly concerned for the good of Hazumi's mental health.  
… And how she had obtained that much free time-  
He did not want to know.

"_FUFUFUFUFU!"_

This was going to be a long semester.

* * *

_Blame my sudden lack of interest in a multitude of things.  
And the fact that I've just been having a great time with writing meaningless things.  
And I'm nervous for school to start-  
Because I won't have much time to write ):_

_Loove you all~**  
-Mel**  
_


	7. To Leave Behind

_Warning: **Angst

* * *

**_

**You. Are. Great. For. Reviewing.**

_Mysticbreez_  
_Nicky Eira_  
_Animelover1993_  
_Rmeyer90_  
_DarkFlame Alchemist_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Bleach **Tite Kubo** : Hazumi **Me. **Simple enough.

* * *

**To Leave Behind.  
**

**

* * *

**

She didn't follow him this time.  
She couldn't follow him. Not now.  
Maybe not ever again.

Inky black orbs stared out his window as she sat on his bed.  
Waiting.  
Looking out with a gaze which one would identify as neutrality.

Only he could really know.  
And he wasn't there.

He had gone off to Urahara.  
She could not follow.

She could never understand that thing inside of him.

That _Hollow_ that had tried to consume him.  
He had overcome it. For a time.

But with that came his strength.

He was virtually unstoppable in Hazumi's eyes now.

And that's why she couldn't follow.  
Because she wasn't unstoppable.

Because she wasn't as strong anymore.

She would never match up against Ichigo Kurosaki.  
Not now.

Not ever.

And he was gone.  
And for the first time…

Hazumi was left behind in the cold winter.  
By Ichigo.

And she could not act this time around.  
She could not follow him and act like it was okay.

She could not help him with this.  
Maybe not with anything.

Not anymore.

So as the snow fell…  
She turned away from the window.

And as those ink orbs suddenly smeared…  
She forgot how to hope.

After so many years of building…  
Buildings can crumble so easily.

* * *

_Rough day._

_**-Mel**  
_


	8. The Barista

**WARNING: **_Crack. Insert self here. Insert friend there. Plus something that makes no sense.  
_

_

* * *

_

**Disclaimer:** Bleach **Tite Kubo** : Hazumi **Me. **Simple enough.

* * *

**The Barista.**

**

* * *

**

Hazumi was a coffee person. Ever since Ichigo had first introduced her to the human world substance, she had been hooked, lined, and sunk. So it wasn't a surprise that she had waltzed right into one of Karakura's small cafes one afternoon, a small smile coating her lips as she inhaled the strong scent of caffeinated drinks. What Hazumi didn't take note was the lack of patrons in said cafe, and the maniacal grin directed towards the arriving blonde.

It was only after a quite sudden and very animated _'WELCOME TO CAFE LUCES!' _that Hazumi's eyes widened and found a very bouncy blonde leaning against the counter of the shop, a thousand watt grin curling her lips.

Coals merely blinked. Once. Twice.  
"Ah… Hello."

Hazumi thought she had at least a bit of a right to be apprehensive as the youth's grin only grew, and that twinkle in her eye escalated to a full-on glow. The Shinigami couldn't tell if it was mischievous or just plain happiness.

"OHMYGAWDACUSTOMER! THISISSOGREEEEAAT~!"

She wasn't sure if she wanted to know.

It was safe to say that the Shinigami girl didn't take another step forward, and only gave the hyperactive barista a blank stare. It wasn't that Hazumi was scared of her, per say…

"Ohohoho! What can I get you today!"

It was just that she was a bit uneasy as the energetic blonde continued to speak.

"Ah~ I thought I would have to get a shovel and start tunneling a hole in the floor- that's how bored I've been! But really, a customer! THIS IS MY LUCKY DAY!"

Hazumi had a feeling that this girl didn't get many customers.

Especially as said girl started to dance around in small circles, prancing on about how she had a customer and those shovels in the back of her car could stay there and rot with the bo-

"I-I think I'll just go some-"

"_NO! ORDER! I'M SO READY FOR THIS! NOTHING CAN MAKE ME UNPREPARED FOR YOUR EPIC ORDER OF THE CENTURY! PLEASE, CONTINUE, CUSTOMER OF MINE!"_

The sudden renewed spark in the barista's eye had Hazumi feeling as though she were watching a flashback of Kurosaki and his son with one of their constant 'kitchen battles.'  
And the fact that a bubble of psychopathic laughter had just escaped the lips of said barista had Hazumi feeling a little more than just uneasy as she continued to inch her way towards the door.  
It wasn't until a dull _thunk _followed by an even duller _thud_ and sudden _crash_ resounded throughout the cafe did Hazumi feel the first signs of relief.  
But no sooner than that relief had come did it leave.  
And was replaced by an even more potent emotion.

Fear.

The barista was no longer in sight.  
And all Hazumi had seen was a pretty sizable object being thrown directly towards her head.

_"OWWWW~"_

"…"

"Diaaaah~! Why'd you throw a expresso machine at me~"

"…"

Hazumi merely watched as a new girl walked in from the back room of the shop, leaning against the threshold as she didn't even cast a glance at the heap of a girl on the floor. She just stared at the Shinigami girl with a dull shimmer in those blue-green eyes of hers.

"Look what you did, Al. Scared the poor woman senseless."

"I'm sorry. Al cannot come to the phone right now. She is too busy cleaning up her brain matter with a tissue on the floor. Please leave a message- _OOF!_"

Hazumi had taken to just plain gaping as this 'Diah' gave a particularly rough nudge with her foot to the girl splayed across the floor, a scowl now coating her round face.

"Your brains have never been anything but mush, Al."

"Diaaaah~!"

Hazumi couldn't fathom why this girl was calling herself Al, when her name clearly was printed on her name tag as L-

"It's seeping through my ears like a waterfall, Diah~!"

"Good for you, Al."

The sudden_ ding_ of the door and the mindless scurrying through said door was the only sign of life other than theirs in the cafe. Diah gave a heavy sigh before nudging the blonde on the floor yet again, this time successfully rolling her over to reveal strange swirls to where her eyes should have been. The only indication that she was still conscious was her sudden chirp, "That was real productive, Diah! We're getting better every day!"

"…"

* * *

**Extended Ending:**

Muttering under his breath, Ichigo swung open the door of the cafe with a scowl. His tawny eyes were tight as he looked around, so sure that he had just sensed Hazumi's _reiatsu _somewhere around there.

"_HELLO! AND WECLOME TO CAFE LUCES!"_

"…What's that pink stuff on your ear?"

Blink.

Blink.

Blink.

"_HOLY COW! I'VE GOT A TALKING STRAWBERRY IN THE CAFE! MWAHAHAHHAHAH! DIAH! DIAH YOU'RE NEVER GOING TO BELIEVE THIS!"_

"…"

"…"

"… Where ARE those shovels?"

* * *

_Complete crackfic. Complete insanity.  
I think the ending was a little weak :/  
And all for that mentally ill reader of mine. Hope you liked, Liz._

_**-Mel**_

_**P.s. Thanks for my reviews. I love you all~  
**_


	9. P R I S O N

_Bleach © Tite Kubo_

* * *

**P R I S O N****  
**

_Has its perks_…?

* * *

It was a beautiful snowy day in Karakura. The unadulterated white in the park glistened with just the right shine, the small snowflakes that powdered down were just the right size and shape, and it was just the right day for coffee as Ichigo Kurosaki meandered down the sidewalk towards this new shop.

_Cafe Luces._

The boy didn't know what compelled him to open that door and step inside the deserted cafe like he did almost everyday. Hazumi had refused to go this time around, seeing as she had had enough of 'Al's' hyperactive demeanor for a week.

That wasn't saying she did not enjoy her company, however. The animated blonde was a breath of fresh air with her bubbly antics and meaningless activities as she pranced around the ever so empty cafe, entertaining the two Shinigami- Ichigo had taken to joining her after awhile- with her curious nature.

Ichigo had merely found her entertaining- begrudgingly, as he would never admit it- and would even make his way down to the small shop days like today.

But as soon as he stepped into the small cafe, he immediately knew something was amiss.

There was no sound.  
No chipper _'WELCOME TO CAFE LUCES!'_ like every time he had shown up.

There was just Diah leaning back in one of the chairs, feet crossed and propped on one of the round tables that decorated the far side of the shop. The teen was reading a novel with a small frown and dull shine in her eyes, as Ichigo had come to see quite often.

"Where's Al?"  
Diah didn't look up from her book as her frown deepened. Her voice was absent, "She didn't show up today."

Now that was strange.

"Where's Hazumi?"  
"… I'm not sure."  
"Well. That's odd."  
"Yeah."

The silence that ensued wasn't awkward, just… silent. Diah wasn't much for small talk, nor was Ichigo. They both had those perpetual scowls, save for when they were with their friends.

Well, Ichigo's other half.  
And Diah's coworker.  
And even then did Diah only sometimes crack a smile. But that was only when said coworker was in the process of getting hurt, was hurt, or had been hurt.  
They frequently had to buy new expresso machines, for the old ones always seemed to break…  
Many tissues had been used, as well.  
It was a routine that the two Shinigami and two cafe baristas had come accustomed to.

The phone suddenly started to ring.

"Kurosaki."

Ichigo was at the counter, about to make himself the usual hazelnut coffee.

"What?"  
"Get that."  
"You work here!  
"…"

Mumbling under his breath about how useless a certain barista was- and receiving a certain bored spirit finger in response- the boy picked up the phone with a deep frown.  
"Hello?"

"Ichigo."  
He immediately recognized the voice.  
"Hazumi?"

"_ICHIGOOOO!"_

The boy merely blinked, wincing as he wrenched the phone away from his ear as the shouting continued from the other line. It was a second voice that had caused this.  
Al.

"What the hell do you want?"  
The ginger could hear Hazumi cursing at said barista on the other line before coming back.  
"I need you to come get us."

"… Where are you?"

There was a long paused before Ichigo received an answer.  
From a very loud and cheerful voice.  
Too cheerful for their situation.  
"We're in jail, Strawberry-chan~!"

…

"We need a bail, Kurosaki."

Sigh.

"I'll be there soon."

_Click._

Ichigo heaved a heavy breath before putting his hands on his face, groaning with irritation.  
Turning to Diah, who was the epitome of disinterest at this point, the boy sighed.

"They're in jail."  
Ichigo blinked. "How the hell…?"  
"Al called earlier."

…

"You didn't go get them?"

…

"Who the fuck do you think I am?"

* * *

**Extended Ending:**

Ichigo stepped towards the guard on duty, hands stuffed deep into his jean pockets as he let a small frown capsize his lips. The guard was a woman with these dark brown eyes, almost black hair, and a giant lollipop in her grasp.

Ichigo really didn't know how to react.  
With an apathetic gesture did the guard toss him the keys to the cells.  
Her name tag read Sa-

"Have fun."

"…"

Kurosaki merely turned on his heel towards the cells, tawny eyes searching for the two idiots in which he came to find.  
Only a small amount of worry leaked into those eyes of his, fearing for Hazumi's safety. God knows what happened in prison-

"No! That's a total ripoff! I disagree wholeheartedly with your bloody statement!"

That voice…

Ichigo approached the iron bars with a certain apprehension forming in his gut as he heard that cheerful yet annoyed voice ring out, followed by an equivalent amount of vigor in the next voice.

"Yeah, Papa Butch! You heard Big Al! PAY UP!"

And the sight that the boy came across as he reached those bars…

"Oi! You owe me three smokes!"

…Would forever haunt his memory.

Hazumi was the first to notice the youth. "Hey! There he is! Not that we needed much of your help, Kurosaki. Al and I here sure did adapt to prison life well~!"

Oh yes.  
Prison was definitely good for the both of them.  
The boy abruptly turned on his heel.

"O-Oi! Come back here, Kurosaki!"

He had to go find Diah.  
She'd prove to be nice company.

"ICHIGOOO!

"YOU'RE DEAD, KUROSAKI!"

* * *

_Okay. Fun to write. Utterly pointless. But I don't feel like writing my other stories xD_

_**-Mel.**  
_


	10. Sleep

**I'd like to pretend this is in character, thanks.**

* * *

_Bleach © Tite Kubo_

_

* * *

_

**Sleep.**

* * *

Hazumi had fallen asleep in his bed yet again.  
It would have bothered him that she had fallen asleep in the middle of their project- that was due to tomorrow, thanks to the blonde's procrastination- but, just the sight of her lying there, face relaxed and all of the day's tension melting away…

Well, he'd save her verbal lashing for the morning.

Because it wasn't every night where Ichigo got to climb in right beside her and wrap his arms around her waist.  
And just lay there.  
Each second passing by, wondering how the hell he had gotten so lucky.

To have such an irrational and irritable nutcase crash into his life.  
Verbally abuse him every day.  
And take his bed constantly.

And as these thoughts graced his mind…  
His grip tightened just a bit.

And a barely there smile curled those always scowling lips of his as he buried his face in the girl's hair, inhaling that lavender scent.

Yeah.  
Lucky was the word.

_"Aishiteru."_

* * *

_Fin._

_

* * *

_

_Love you all._  
_So, so much.  
Thank you~_

**-Mel**


End file.
